Summer
by Kunzite
Summary: Such a hot season of the year summer is. So why does that reflect a woman's anger for everything she despises about a man who is pursuing her to be his very own? How would this relationship ever work out? Better yet, how could she ever love him again? A Makoto and Nephrite story.


**Author's Note: I do not own Sailor Moon or any character's afiliated with the Manga, Anime, or any other mediums that it has been expressed on. This story is purely for enjoyment purposes to write a possible story that SHOULD have happened after Sailor Moon Stars. Just saying...**

* * *

 _Summer_

* * *

 _I..._

 _Hate..._

 _Everything About You..._

* * *

Makoto was really, really ticked off.

She was so thankful that she finally made it back to her apartment, ALONE.

Why is that such a great thing you might ask?

The princess of Jupiter had a new stalker, a tall, dark, and handsome stalker that tried doing everything for her on their first date. She could hold open the door for herself. She didn't have to be escorted to the bathroom. And she sure could have offered to tip the waitor who served them their food!

It was charming the first couple of dates they went on.

And then... it started getting a little creapy for her. As she would leave work at a local bakery, she would find a dozen roses laying at her doorstep with a really, really sappy love note. It was almost TOO sweet for her to take.

He would visit her at her work almost EVERY SINGLE DAY. Yes, he was very charming and was able to strike up a plesant conversation, but she needed to work (not socialize for an hour)! Her manager spoke to her about that, and she got written up! Seriously? A write-up?

She huffed angrily and crossed her arms while sitting at her kitchen table.

Okay, so Jupiter and Nephrite had a history. They had been relatively passionate during the Silver Millenium. They always pushed the envelope when they were in each other's proximity.

Fast forward to today. Makoto and Nathan do NOT have that same history. Sure, when she met him at the photoshoot, he flirted with her. What harm does that do? And when she saw him again on the film set after a Youma attack, he flirted with her again. No damage done. But when his past memories returned like a flood the day he returned to Tokyo.

She had to grab her hair and give a frustrated huff otherwise she would have grabbed the closest item (a drinking glass) and crushed it in her hand.

As soon as his memories were returned to him, he made a beeline to Makoto and escorted her out of the room by grabbing her wrist and pulling her along. When they were alone, he grabbed her close to his body and began to kiss her- or at least he tried to.

She gave a small smirk with her eyes darkening in anger as she released her hair at the memory. That day, she gave him a square punch to the gut and kicked him where it hurt. Making sure her hair and make up were fixed, she returned to the room with the other women and men. It took Nathan a good ten minutes before he returned to the group, trying to hide a limp. All through that meeting, she could see his eyes were glued to her, almost in a creepy stalker-like fashion.

The next day he did apologize. She received a gift, perhaps more of an offering. It was very expensive chocolates, you know, the imported kind? She decided to give him another chance and to start over. She knew both Ami and Minako had found their soulmates. The difference between both of them is they had time to develop a relationship with the men they were with before their memories returned. Makoto and Rei didn't have that luxury. Although Rei just has trust issues with men, Makoto was excited to realize that perhaps one of Endymion's men was indeed interested in her. What she did not like was how quick he was rushing the relationship. He was like a starving wolf feasting on its prey.

After the first few dates with him, she realized how rushed everything felt.

She really, really wanted to take her time with this and enjoy the experience. She had a feeling that if the concept of marriage even came up in their conversation, he would try and drag her to the chapel to get married ASAP.

No. She didn't want that.

As she began distancing herself over the next month of Nathan joining their group, he began sending her letters in the mail every day. Some were really sappy love notes of how he desired to be with her. Others were love songs or poetry. One was a short story, a romance short story (which she normally enjoyed), but she got the hint after a few paragraphs that he was recollecting his memories about her and their past love... only this time was changing the characters names and physical descriptions.

She never returned his letters by writing back.

He also had her phone number. She was really thinking about changing it to another number now. Speaking of which. She pulled up her phone and saw the number flashing across the screen. She had renamed him from Nathan-Sweetie to The Stalker.

When they started talking on the phone, their conversations lasted for hours. It went well into her sleeping time. After having a collective five hours of sleep one week, she made sure to turn off her ringer and not answer. The next morning, she saw a whole slew of text messages asking if she was awake or if she was okay. She hated having her phone buzz in her pocket every minute, especially when she was at work or school.

And the battle field... she groaned in anger and leaned back in her chair. The battle field.

When he first joined the ranks of men with Tuxedo Mask, he did a great job assisting with a well though out strategy and executing it with his unique warrior skills.

What she started to hate was how he was always keeping an eye out for her. Just her. Anytime a monster tried attacking her blind spot, he was always there to defend her. So why was she so upset?

He never let her move a muscle! It was like he was dancing around her on the battlefield keeping her safe from any and every attack like she was a piece of immovable glass!

Today, She HAD IT. Just a few hours prior, after the enemy was dusted (granted it was a tougher one than they ever encountered as a team), she turned around and shoved him away from her. Her green eyes dared him to come another step closer, her hand poised to release dangerous electricity at him. "I dare you to take another step near me," she threatened ready to attack.

The Senshi and Shittenou were very, very alarmed. Sailor Moon stood in the middle of the man and woman in question raising her hands up in a calming gesture. "Jupiter? What's wrong? I've never seen you like this-"

"Keep that man away from me, or I swear I will rip a hole in his chest!" she threatened, her eyes livid at the man beside her.

All were on very high alert either trying to pull Nephrite away from the woman or to push Jupiter away from him.

"He is our friend Jupiter," calmly replied the Senshi's leader.

Jupiter all but hissed, "Not mine!"

The electricity began burning brighter in her hand.

Kunzite immediately went to his brother-in-arms and quickly grasped Nephrite's shoulder before he could move another inch closer. The two men vanished out of sight at the will of the team lead of the Shittenou. Jadeite and Zoisite were left behind to keep an eye on the situation and help keep things calm.

As soon as he was gone, her electricity vanished, and she stormed in the other direction. Dark clouds hovered above their heads crashing and booming with thunder.

"Jupiter," walked Sailor Moon reaching to her friend, "Wait-"

But Tuxedo Mask held back his fiance as she tried to go comfort her friend. Makoto ran back home after finding a quick place to de-transform.

What did she ever see in Nephrite anyway?

She abruptly stood up and went to her room to take a shower. Though it was still really early to retire for the evening, she felt the shower and sleep would be good to calm her nerves.

* * *

"Why does she hate you so much?" asked Jay drinking his imported beer as the four 'brothers' sat at the bar with Mamoru.

Nathan was already wasted having consumed several strong drinks to take away the pain he had from earlier's embarrassing encounter. "I have no clue. I have been trying to treat her like a queen! I've been trying to protect her from harm as we did in the Silver Millenium. I've been reaching out to her letting her know how much I'm interested in her, and she's stopped talking to me all together!" He finished off his drink. "I thought she was into me."

Kendal's ice blue eyes glinted remembering how Venus treated him all those months back the first time he official met her.

Zachariah remembered the weeks where he received no phone calls from Ami before they began officially dating.

Darien remembered the times that he and Usagi had nasty spats, and how he rejected her to save her from the Dark Moon Circus.

Jay scratched the side of his head. "At least you got to enjoy some dates with her. Rei won't even give me a couple of seconds of her day just so I can get to know her." He pointed to Kendal, "Minako transformed played the cold shoulder to him when he tried pursuing Venus. Zach, from what I heard, didn't hear from Ami for quite some time after he gave her his number. I witnessed Ami putting her phone on speaker and getting written messages from the Senshi of what to say to Zach. Her friends basically set up their date between the two."

Zachariah raised an eyebrow as he sipped his bourbon. "They did what?"

Jay took a quick swig of beer, "The women all held up different written notes on white boards. They wrote different messages like 'How are you?' or 'When should we meet?'. My personal favorite of the notes was 'When can we start making babies?'."

Zach almost choked at that line as did Nathan and Mamoru. Jay looked at his King. "That was Usagi's written suggestion by the way."

Mamoru chuckled. "Of course she would make a comment like that..." he muttered sarcastically.

Jay pointed his beer to the brunette. "My point being, Nathan, we all had some sort of pitfall with our women. Get over it. Give Makoto some space, and I promise you, she will come to you when she's ready."

Nathan frowned at the advice.

Their king decided he needed to step. "Though Makoto can be very girly and compassionate, she truly is a tomboy at heart," advised Mamoru. "I've known her since she was 14 years old. She's been alone her entire life. Her family are the Senshi. No men have been apart of her life nor did she seriously date anyone. Yes, she always talks about having an old boyfriend. She, like the other women who protect Usagi, gave up relationships to be loyal warriors to their Queen and to protect this planet." The black-haired man nodded to Jay, "I liked Jay's advice, and I think it might be the best solution at this point in time. Leave her alone for about a month. Maybe after then, she might be willing to start something slow."

Nathan listened to his monarch though a drunken haze.

He gave a sigh and nodded his head reluctantly. Drunk or not, Mamoru's word was law. He knew he needed to keep away from the love of his life for 31 long days...

"Wait for her till the end of summer," finally spoke Kendal. All the men were shocked when he finally joined the conversation since bringing his friend straight to the bar to loosen up. "She doesn't give up people who are her family. Whether she likes it or not, you are part of her family now."

* * *

The first day after her fit of rage, he didn't call or text her.

She sighed in relief.

Though the letters still came to her mailbox, to her annoyance, they stopped after three days.

When she returned to work, there was no sign of him at his favorite spot by the window of the cafe.

A week passed by when they finally had a Senshi/Shittenou meeting. She knew she would see him there and ask him what was going on. Yes, she was still pissed at him, but she was wondering why he stopped all communication suddenly. She shook her head. No. It was better this way that she ignore him. She didn't want him to start up with the smothering again.

When the meeting was held, only the Senshi arrived. Rei sat by the fire meditating. Ami was starting to really show her pregnancy and began typing on her Mercury computer as she kneeled in front of the fire. Where was her husband? Makoto usually enjoyed striking up a conversation with the photographer.

When Minako arrived with Usagi, she was curious why the two blondes didn't come in with their men... or why the other men didn't show up.

What was going on?

Usagi nodded her head and spoke to the women, "Mamoru and I thought it would be best if the Senshi had their own meeting here and the Shitennou have their meeting at a different location."

That was very odd. She also had a feeling it had to do with her outburst towards Nathan. She mentally huffed. Serves him right. But she did feel a little bad that the other men weren't with their women, namely those who were married or engaged. She knew Ami was starting to have a hard time moving around, and Zach was really good with assisting her during this vulnerable time.

She was beginning to think she should apologize to Nathan for her outburst.. and apologize to the ladies for causing this seperated meeting.

Another week passed, and there was still no sign of Nathan. She was enjoying the solitude she was used to, but she wasn't sure how to react to so much of it, especially now that a man she had some history with returned in her life.

No... she considered this a good thing. It still bothered her a little that she didn't receive a single message from him letting her know he was still alive.

Before she knew it, three weeks total passed. Something began to eat at Makoto's nerves. Was he angry at her too for such a blatant rejection she gave him?

It was the sixth day of that third week that their monthly hang-out day was planned. Jay kindly opened his condo up to them for their monthly movie night. The senshi of lightning did not spare any expense in making her baked goods and treats. She was very careful with their presentation and the way they tasted. Not to mention, all of these treats were actually Nathan's preferred selections at the bakery she worked at. She thought, perhaps this might start a conversation between the two of them this evening. She was curious to know how he was doing.

The team came that evening all giving her compliments on her pasteries and baked goods, well... all except for one. He sat quietly listening to Jay and Zach speaking animately as he slowly ate and sipped his hot tea.

When it was movie time, Nathan sat along with Rei, Minako, and Kendal. She was on the otherside of the couch feeling rather left out of the conversation.

She had to excuse herself early that evening. She made some lame excuse of having to be at work by 3 in the morning to bake goods for the shop. Any extra pasteries she had at home, when she arrived, went straight into the garbage. She cried herself to sleep.

The fourth week of that month, she went to work extremely early and left way after her shift ended. Her manager had to tell her to GO HOME after the fourth day of that week and to stop scrubbing near-to-impossible-to-remove baked-on grease from old pans in the bakery.

Twenty-eight Days.

It had been twenty-eight days since she last had a conversation with Nathan. She sent him a text earlier that week to see how he was doing.

She never received a reply back.

She couldn't help but let a few tears fall. Did she really offend him that much? How she was seriously regretting the words she said in her moment of rage. Her heart began to ache and her stomach clench. Something... anything. Memories of the Silver Millenium flashed in her mind of their exchanges. They had both been so compatible then. What happened? Their relationship had been so easy going and natural. Why was she so overwhelmed when he was reintroduced?

She didn't make anything to eat that evening.

She wanted nothing more than to sleep and forget her regrets.

* * *

BEEP BEEP!

Makoto turned on her communication device though still half asleep. "Jupiter here," her voice croaked.

"We need everyone!" sounded Ami's voice on the other end. She had become a sort of secretary who arranged and advised from a distance. "Go to central downtown. Youma reported."

"Got it," sighed Makoto looking at her alarm clock. It was one in the morning.

Great. Why did an attack have to happen while Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask teleported themselves to the Moon? Luna and Artemis said they needed to travel to the old, ruins of the Moon Kingdom... something about their upcoming marriage. So already, they were down three warriors.

Though still in her skimpy pajama's, she transformed. Her alertness heightened and she leaped out the window of her apartment. It took about ten minutes to arrive at the scene. Already, a full-ledge battle was going on. She smirked as she prepared her electricity in her hand while running full speed at the Youma. She turned her hands towards the creature and released her speedy attack. It dodged just in time to dodge and counter with a large ice dagger.

Her eyes widened knowing she had very little to no time to dodge that attack without it causing her serious brain damage.

Only it never hit her. Her body was abruptly stopped with a man wearing a cape and armor. She saw his body jerk back and his brown hair rustle in the wind. Her green eyes watched in horror as he slumped down, she carefully catching his fall and lying him down on his back. Her eyes widened seeing where the ice dagger hit. Blood began to seep out of the wound where his pierced and crushed heart began to stop beating.

Jupiter's green eyes widened before she screamed in horror and grabbed his shoulders while crying over his dying body.

Kunzite quickly made his way to his brother in arms and allowed his hands to glow green. Jupiter clung to Nephrite keeping hope that something could be done. The icy blue eyes of the Shittenou caught the Senshi's attention. "When I say 'three', pull out the dagger. I need to repair his heart and get the blood flowing to his brain."

She shakily nodded her head, her white gloves grabbing the ice dagger.

"One."

She made sure to firmly grasp the crystal.

"Two."

She summoned all her strength.

"Three."

She pulled with her strength and cleanly dislodged the dagger. She continued to hold it not minding that the ice actually cut unto her own hands. Her eyes saw the rush of blood and gaping hole in Nephrite's chest that was now covered by the healing power of the Shittenou leader.

She thought she was going to be sick.

She turned around still grasping the dagger in her right hand. Her green eyes narrowed and lightning began crackling around her dangerously. She began walking towards the villain as it toyed with Jadeite and Mars. Zoisite was knocked out and Venus was preparing her light chain to ensnare the monster.

Jupiter allowed the electricity to fill and surround the ice dagger, as she neared the arrogant Youma with each step.

Venus saw the senshi of lightning getting extremely close to the monster. What was she thinking?!

With a quick leap in the air, Jupiter grabbed the dagger with both hands and shoved the blade into the monster's back, right where the heart resided. It began to shriek as the electricity engulfed and shook its body from the jolt. As the burnette woman kept her hold on the dagger to increase the strength of the lightning, she whispered in the Youma's ear, "NEVER touch my family."

As she released the ice dagger, the body of the creature fell to the ground and slumped. It's body became nothing but a pile of dust.

Jupiter inhaled and exhaled several times, her entire body shaking.

Her green eyes returned back to where the body of the man, who took a dagger to the heart for her, laid. She knelt down beside where Kunzite worked cautiously. She missed the beads of sweat that formed on the sides of the silver-haired man's face. All she currently saw was the blood that stained the once-white uniform.

She was numb as she waited and watched.

Her cut up and bloodied, gloved hands reached out to touch his hair and face as the wind began blowing around them. Strange for a summer night like this.

She leaned in to his ear and lowly whispered, "I'm sorry for everything. Please forgive me..." her voice choked in her throat as a sob came out. The dams of her tears began to overflow as she bitterly sobbed for a man she didn't know if he would live to see another day.

* * *

Nathan opened his eyes as he laid on the hard ground in a summer evening. His chest really, really hurt, but he heard the sobs of a woman beside him. He knew that brown hair and green uniform anywhere. Why was she crying?

"W-what's wrong Jupiter?" he asked her.

She gasped and looked down at him, her eyes bright red from crying and tears pouring down her face. She grabbed his face. Her hands shook as she touched the sides of his face gently. She lowered her face to his and gave a desperate kiss, which surprised Nephrite to no end. He too closed his eyes and returned the gesture.

"Stop Kissing!" barked Kunzite which Jupiter quickly backed her head away from Nephrite's. Both looked at the narrowed eyes and sweatied face of the Shittenou. "You get him too excited, he'll bleed to death before I'm finished!"

The Senshi sniffled and began using her blood-stained gloves to wipe away her tears. She looked back down to the man she almost lost to death and began wiping away any blood or tears she may have accidentally placed on his face.

"Why a-are yo-uu crying?" softly asked the wounded warrior.

"No talking!" barked Kunzite still concentrating.

Venus came behind her fiance and placed her hands on his back and closed her eyes. Her body began to glow a bright gold as she gave her love a boost to continue on. Her steady boost of power gave him the strength to convert that energy for the healing.

It was another ten minutes before the silver-tress man allowed the glow of his hands to die down to nothing.

He looked to his comrade who was looking up at a woman, who refused to leave his side. "You will live another day."

Nephrite nodded his head and tried sitting up. He hissed when he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

"You're heart was just restructured. Your bones regenerated. Your skin knitted back together. You are on strict bedrest Nephrite. Everything is still fragile. Until Sailor Moon returns from her journey to the moon with Endymion, you must not leave your bed. That's an order," finalized Kunzite with his authoritative voice.

"I-I volunteer to care for him," spoke Jupiter immedaitely eyeing Kunzite. "He can stay at my apartment until he's better."

Venus gave a look of compassion as Kunzite watched her with his stone, cold eyes. "Mako, dear," spoke the senshi leader, "It's a big responsibility... are you sure?"

Immediately, the brunette woman nodded her head with conviction in her emerald eyes, "Just like you all are, he is family. And my family needs me more than ever now."

A soft smile crossed Nephrite's features as he closed his eyes to rest. He didn't say another word as commanded by his leader. Already, he was comforted to know he would be cared for by someone safe and special to him.

"Then we will assist you in transporting Nephrite to your apartment," added Jadeite as he dusted off his uniform. Zoisite also rejoined the ranks as he began shaking the dust out of his hair, face, and arm. The man with short blond hair gazed up at his long time friend, "Could you take Jupiter back to her place? I'll meet you there in a second with Nephrite."

With a nod, Zoisite stepped beside the lightning senshi and reached out his hand to hers. She took it with gladness and smiled at him. "Thanks Zoi."

He nodded his head and teleported them back to her home.

Seconds later, Jadeite appeared in the apartment with Nephrite still lying on the ground. The two blond men helped pick up each side of their recovering brother in arms, and carried him to her king-sized bed. Makoto pulled at the stone that was holding his cape in place, which deactivated the transformation. He was in a simple long sleeve shirt with linen pants. She turned back to the two men getting ready to leave. She smiled and bowed her head to them. I am eternally thankful to you both."

Zoisite smiled widely and gave her a thumbs up, "You got it."

"Make sure you kiss all his boo-boos better," teased Jadeite.

She scoffed and rolled her green-eyes before waving them off. They vanished in less than a second.

She returned her attention back to the man lying in her bed. He was looking at her with half hooded eyes. Sure, he was breathing a bit shallow, but there was a small smile on his face. "I hope I don't bleed on your bed."

She tisked and huffed, "Hush. Don't talk like that. Let me get some more pillows and blankets from the closet. Would you like anything to drink?"

"No thank you."

She gave a smile to the man and left the room promptly.

He paused and looked around the room, at least... what his eyes could see with where he was laying. His eyes stopped on her desk in the room. It was covered with the letters he sent her. Each letter was open and lying in a neat stack with one letter in particular neatly placed in the middle of her desk.

She read them, his mind thought. She actually read every one of his letters to her. He also turned his eyes to the side of the room seeing all the different flower bouquets he gave her hanging upside down by a ribbon as they dried out to later be used as decorations. He also noticed just under the hanging flowers, the small gifts he gave her on her dresser.

She kept them all.

He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He was thankful that she was not repulsed by him. Indeed, Mamoru was correct. She just needed some space and time to readjust. He heard the door squeak open with Makoto coming in with the blankets and pillows in her arms. As she deposited them on the bed, he became very aware of her night clothes. His wandering eyes snapped up to her look of concentration as her hair hung loose on her shoulders- a look he had never seen her sport before. She grabbed the pillow and fluffed it quickly before picking up Nathan's head, unknowingly towards her well exposed cleavage, and gently rested his head back down on pillow. Regardless of the pain he felt with that slight movement, the view he just received cancelled all receptors of pain that screamed in his body. She pulled the folded down-comforter up as well as a thin sheet. She looked into his blue eyes.

"Would you like to be covered with a comforter or a sheet?"

His body was rather cold from the bloodloss. "Comforter," he answered.

She nodded quickly unfolding it and laying it on top of him. He carefully moved his arms and slowly adjusted the blanket to his liking.

She looked at him as he finally got comfortable and ready for sleep. "Nathan?" she asked him.

He turned his gaze on her, his eyes soft and gentle. "Yes?"

She leaned to his ear and whispered, "I am so sorry Nathan. Please forgive me for my horrible words-"

He used his hand to touch her face which caused her to stop speaking in midsentence. He smiled when her eyes locked onto his, "I forgive you. Would you forgive me for the way I treated you?"

"You have been nothing but kind," she spoke remorseful.

"And I was not respectful of your space," he replied. "I am at fault too. Would you forgive me?"

She nodded her head, tears falling down her cheeks once again. She leaned in to him and gave him a gentle, loving hug. As she leaned back, he leaned forward to capture her lips once again (which she returned with passion). He pulled back to wince as his chest and back began to tighten in pain. She began to dote on him to lay back down still.

"We will get to share better kisses when you're not in this much pain," she promised with a smile. As she turned to leave so she could sleep in the livingroom, she felt his hand grab her wrist. She raised an eyebrow.

"Stay," he spoke, "Please." He glanced beside him, "There's enough room for another person."

Her eyes widened, "Isn't that improper?"

He smiled at her innocence. "I can't move. I won't be able to do anything you consider 'indecent' until my heart and chest heal. Besides," he added stuggling to breath a little. He really should have listened to Kunzite's instruction of not talking. "I might need help in the night."

She pondered everything he spoke before she nodded her head in agreement and crawled into bed. He got another good view of Makoto as she began to curl up in the bed on one side. She felt his hand as he tried bringing her closer to his still body. She took the hint and scooted up to his clothed body. He lifted the covers so she could curl under them too before lowering it over them both.

No schedule or alarm was set to ring at an early hour. It was barely three in the morning as the couple enjoyed each other's presence; their broken and wounded hearts began to mend emotionally.

As she fell asleep, five words crossed her mind.

* * *

 _Why..._

 _Do I..._

 _Love you?_

* * *

Author's Note: AND! THAT'S A WRAP! So most of my chapters range between 1000 words and 2000 words. This one has a total of 5,189 words. SAY WHAT? Yes. It's like 5 small chapters all together or three really big ones.

Thank you for reading! I actually enjoyed writing this more than I thought I would. It's definitely a change from the light-hearted humor. It's still a little bit of a Mind F, but I think sometimes relationships need that distance in order to be stronger in the end... especially if things got really rocky for stupid reasons.

Did anyone catch the lyrics I used in this story? Ah? Ah? Yeah. That song and 'Warriors' from Imagine Dragons helped me to write this all last evening. I think it took maybe... three hours total? Or less. Anyways, guess which story is next?

That's RIGHT! Autumn! Or Fall.. I think Autumn might be better for the title. Expect it to come up soon. If you want to be alerted for when my next story is posted, add me to your Author Alerts. If you like the story, hated it, want to throw it over a roof because it was an emotional roller coaster? Drop a message and let me know what you thought.

Next up, Jadeite and Rei with Autumn! Wow. That story is going to be such a Mind F. See ya later!


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